Greetings Marvista Families,
As Spring continues to unfold in our beautiful city, I’d like to bring up a topic that may feel like an uncomfortable one for you. With warmer weather, we shed our coats and jackets and start to wear t-shirts, shorts, skirts and other warm-weather clothes. This time of year there tends to be more flirting, more thoughts on body image, and also greater risk of sexual abuse. The current startling statistics are that 1 in 4 girls and 1 in 20 boys report experiencing sexual abuse before the age of 18, and most of the abuse that happens occurs before the age of 9. Most children are aware of “stranger danger” but the reality is that in 90% of sexual abuse cases, the abused child knows the person abusing them. We as parents and a school have a key role in teaching our children safety around this, and so I’d like to share a resource for you to have these difficult conversations with them.
If you click on the link below it will take you to a conversation guide and other information produced by Committee for Children, the organization that created much of the curriculum I use in teaching students about personal safety, bullying and social-emotional learning. They call it the “Hot Chocolate Talk”, and I’d strongly encourage every one of us to read over the guide and talk to our children about how important their bodies are and how they can keep them safe.
https://www.cfchildren.org/resources/child-abuse-prevention/
By working together on this, we can help protect our kids. Please don’t hesitate to reach out if you’d like additional support with this.
Warm Regards,
Andrew Ritsema
School Counselor
Marvista Elementary School